Housing Headlines

WESTPORT --- The Westport Affordable Housing Trust Fund has expressed support for the special permit application submitted by The Community Builders to build 50 units of mixed-income housing on town-owned land. TCB has been working with the town and the trust for the last four years to develop this property in accordance with the town's housing production plan.

NEWBURYPORT - After proposing 62 units last year, local builder David Hall of Hall and Moskow, came back before the zoning board of appeals with a new plan for a former truck yard on Rt. 1 that includes 48 separate units and a 10-unit lodging house that will be managed by the YWCA, which is now a limited partner in the project.

TAUNTON --- The Neighborhood Corporation - a local nonprofit formerly called Weir Corp. - continued its revitalization of the Weir Village industrial area as it has completed work on turning an old contaminated paint factory site into a duplex with two affordable three-bedroom apartments for families. The effort was spearheaded by TNC board chair Larry Silvia and Joseph Pacheco, who has become an unpaid acting director while also running Pro Home, another local nonprofit.

WORCESTER --- The Worcester housing market is recovering gradually from its 2011 low but the median price of a home in 2015 is still $55,000 less than it was in 2005, according to the Warren Group.

ROXBURY --- The redevelopment of the former Bartlett Yard MBTA site into a mixed-use development with 60 housing units and retail space has hit a snag, with the city-appointed Project Review Committee questioning whether letting a charter school lease the commercial space can be defined as economic development.

WALTHAM --- The effort to use $2.1 million in Community Preservation Act funds to create a rental assistance funds for lower-income residents cleared another hurdle recently when the city council voted 11-3 to override Mayor Jeannette McCarthy's veto. The mayor can still stop the plan by refusing to sign an agreement between the city and the housing authority that would have the housing authority administer the funds. The mayor's main issue is that people on the housing authority's waiting list, while eligible for assistance, will not receive preference.